Why have you stopped going to the movies?

It’s the most commonly shared opinion this film critic hears.

“I don’t go the movies as much as I used to.

And that refrain came before the pandemic shut down theaters in 2020.

That’s anecdotal, of course. Now, the evidence is more compelling, and frightening, especially if you make a living in La La Land.

People stopped going to the movies this year in alarming numbers, and it got worse as the holidays approached.

The raw numbers tell the story.

The gross for 2022 domestic now looks like $7.5 billion, perhaps 15 percent lower than the year’s lowball $8.5 billion projection and far off the $11.2 billion of 2019 (which, at today’s ticket prices, would be over $13 billion).

Earlier in 2022, we saw modest-sized hits like “The Lost City,” “Elvis” “The Woman King” Even if there were other films that stumbled upon it, a show of non-franchise material could attract a crowd.“Bros,” “Devotion,” “Father Stu”).

Now?

It’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” little else.

Studios often release their nominees for awards season in the final weeks of the year. Although they don’t have the flash of a superhero romp, they still manage to sell some tickets.

“The King’s Speech” (2010) – $138 million “Green Book” (2018) – $85 million “A Star Is Born” (2018) – $215 million “House of Gucci” (2021) – $53 million

What has changed?

The critic reached out via Twitter to get some informal responses to a simple question: “Why did you stop going to movies?” The responses suggest that there are many causes, which go beyond fears of a pandemic.

Streaming

Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, and Amazon Prime have all seen a rise in streaming content. Recent streaming originals like “The Gray Man,” “Prey” “Hocus Pocus 2” The look is identical

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